Bill not paid to maintain electricity in Raipur stadium ahead of India vs Australia fourth T20I

A big problem engulfs the Indian cricket ahead of the fourth T20I match between India and Australia. The electricity bill is reportedly not being paid to maintain the flood lights in Raipur’s cricket stadium. It might be a moment of shame for the stadium authorities, who have put the India vs Australia fourth T20I in risk by their negligence. The criticism for the same has already started.

The series has taken a unique route after Australia’s win in the third T20I in Guwahati, where the visiting side levelled the series with a 5-wicket win over the home side. Glenn Maxwell’s heroics with the bat helped Australia to chase their highest ever target in the history of T20Is. With the series getting the required spice just at the right moment, things are getting shaped up in a wrong way.

Reports claim that the stadium has not paid the electricity bill in the last 14 years, which is pathetic. As a result, there has been a due of over INR 3.16 crores on Chhattisgarh Cricket Association. The stadium’s light supply was cut through about 5 years ago. CSCA requested to install a temporary facility to cover spectators’ gallery and boxes. But the entire stadium is left without the floodlights.

Blame game over unpaid bills

The current capacity of the temporary connection in 200 kV. It was to get extended to a thousand kV but has not been materialized yet. There was an uproar in 2018, when the athletes realized the absence of floodlights at the venue. It was then that the news of the unpaid bill had come out. After the construction of the Raipur stadium, the responsibility of maintaining the stadium was handed over to PWD.

The remaining expenses were to be handled by the Sports Department. At the moment, both the departments have been playing blame games regarding the unpaid bill. The electricity board has sent several notices to both the departments to pay the bill over the years. But both the departments have neglected the notice. Three matches have happened in the stadium since the power cut.